The invention relates to a device for mounting objects of various types to ceilings and walls, with a receptacle adapted for being directly connected to the ceiling or wall and an anchoring unit serving to hold the objects, the anchoring unit comprising a locking element for extending into the receptacle, a contact element serving to lie against the receptacle, and connecting means associated at least to the contact element for a connecting element, the anchoring unit being adapted for being mounted in the receptacle by rotating the engaged locking element relative to the contact element, and by a thereby caused engagement behind the shoulders of the receptacle.
Devices of the described kind have been known from practice for years, for example, from DE 196 17 750 C1. According to the device disclosed in DE 196 17 750 C1, a locking element and a contact element form an anchoring unit. The contact element is used to lie externally against the receptacle and locking element for engaging behind a receiving element. The receptacle is designed and constructed as a cross sectionally U-shaped element with inwardly projecting shoulders and retaining projections.
In the known device, the anchoring unit is extremely costly to construct and has only a limited operational reliability. Operative between the contact element and the locking element is a biasable resetting element, which is designed and constructed as a spring. After rotating the contact element relative to the locking element, the latter is able to move within the receptacle, and to return to its original position relative to the contact element. Accordingly, the resetting element or the spring used therefor causes the locking element to snap in within the receptacle. With respect to the assembly, such a spring is a costly component, inasmuch as it is necessary to provide for the resetting element or for the spring special contact surfaces or abutments within the contact element.
Moreover, the known anchoring unit operates only in combination with special connection means, which hold together the contact element and the locking element. To this extent, it is absolutely necessary that the contact element and the locking element be rotatably interconnected via a threaded rod or the like. At any rate, a special connection is mandatory between the two elements. Otherwise, these two elements would fall apart.
Furthermore, in the known anchoring unit, the contact element is provided with a very special sliding surface, which causes the locking element to rise. Accordingly, during the rotation of the contact element, the locking element is forced to remove itself from the contact element for purposes of overcoming the inwardly projecting shoulders or retaining projections of the receptacle, and engaging behind them as a whole. Likewise, such a construction is expensive.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve and further develop a device of the generic kind for mounting objects of any kind to ceilings or walls in such a manner that it permits a simple and safe handling in a simplest construction.
The above and other objects and advantages of the invention are achieved by the provision of a mounting device of the described type wherein the locking element connects via elastic means to the contact element, and wherein the elastic means serves at the same time for resetting the rotational movement between the contact element and the locking element for purposes of bringing the locking element to an engaging position during the rotation of the contact element, and holding it in this position.
In accordance with the invention it has been recognized that a particularly simple design and construction of the device is possible, when the locking element and the contact element are interconnected via elastic means, which simultaneously serves to reset the rotational movement between the contact element and the locking element for purposes of bringing the locking element to its engaging position behind the shoulders during the rotation of the contact element, and holding it in this position. Consequently, the elastic means equally assumes two functions, namely holding together the locking element and the contact element, and secondly causing with an adequate bias during the initial rotation of the contact element, a subsequent rotation of the locking element within the receptacle, so that when the locking element engages the shoulders from behind, the relative position between the locking element and the contact element corresponds again to the original positioning between the two parts. Described in other words, after insertion of the locking element into the receptacle, and upon rotation of the outer contact element which is positioned in contact with the outside of the shoulders, the locking element is initially restrained against concurrent rotation by contact with the shoulders of the receptacle so as to cause relative rotation of the elements. Once the resistance of the shoulders is overcome, the biasing force then rotates the locking element back to the original relative rotational position with the contact element so that the locking element is positioned behind the shoulders. Contrary to the device known from the prior art, special holding means between the contact element and the locking element are no longer needed.
Within the scope of a particularly advantageous development, the elastic means is designed and arranged in such a manner that during the rotation of the contact element relative to the locking element, it causes the locking element to become spaced apart from the contact element abutting the receptacle, and thus to lift for engaging behind the shoulders. Insofar, a third function is attached to the elastic means, namely to cause the locking element to lift for overcoming and engaging behind the shoulders. This results in a particularly simple construction of the claimed device, which avoids the usual sliding surfaces of the prior art for effecting a lifting of the locking element.
Specifically, the lifting of the locking element results from the fact that during the rotation of the contact element, the elastic means slides, pushes, or clamps at least somewhat between the contact element and the locking element, thereby causing a spacing to develop between the locking element and the contact element. According to the dimensioning of the elastic means, this spacing must be large enough for permitting an engagement behind the inwardly projecting shoulders of the receptacle. Afterovercoming the shoulders, the locking element is able to rotate within the receptacle, and to return to its original position relative the contact element, after fully engaging behind the shoulders. With that, a mounting of the anchoring unit is already achieved. For a stabilization, it is then necessary to screw together the parts of the anchoring unit, for example, by means of a threaded rod and a nut, as will be described further below.
Preferably, the elastic means is made of rubber. As a specific example, the elastic means may be an endless rubber band. In a further advantageous manner, the rubber band is looped about the locking element and attached to the contact element preferably in a biased state. In this state, the rubber band may extend with crossing band sections over the locking element, and engage behind the contact element through corresponding cutouts, so that in the biased state of the rubber band, a safe and elastic connection is realized between the contact element and the locking element, at least to an adequate extent, in order to move the anchoring unit to the engaging position.
When a rubber band is used as an elastic means, same may push with its respective band sections between the contact element and the locking element during the rotation of the contact element, thereby initiating a lifting movement of the locking element on four sides of the locking element or the contact element. An even spacing between the locking element and contact element is thus realized in that the locking element is able to overcome the inwardly projecting shoulders.
The thickness of the rubber band should approximately correspond to the thickness of the shoulders that are to be overcome by the locking element, so as to be able to ensure an adequate lifting for overcoming the shoulders and engaging behind them.
Furthermore, it will be of advantage, when the locking element with its edge sections serving to engage behind the shoulders is lifted in a spaced manner relative to its surface serving to contact the contact element. In this respect, it is possible to move the locking element, with the contact element or by bringing the contact element into contact with receptacle, already inward behind the region of the shoulders, so that at most a slight lifting is necessary for the engagement from behind by the locking element. To assist the necessary engagement behind the shoulders by the locking element, it would be possible to bevel the locking element on its edge sections serving to engage behind the shoulders in such a manner that opposite to the shoulders, a sliding surface is formed, which facilitates the engagement. As an alternative and/or in addition thereto, it would be possible that the shoulders of the receptacle slope toward the free inner side, or narrow in their thickness, and thus form a sliding surface, which facilitates the rear engagement by the locking element. This would likewise assist the engaging rotational movement of the locking element within the receptacle.
The locking element itself could be designed and constructed in the way of a parallelogram or trapezoid, and when being in its rotated and engaged state, come to lie with its two short edges against opposing inner walls of the receptacle. This makes it necessary to adapt the dimensioning of the locking element on the one hand and of the receptacle on the other. At the same time, the short edges of the locking element form with the inner walls of the receptacle a contact or a corresponding stop, which prevents the locking element from further rotating and thus from disengaging from its engaging position.
Furthermore, it will be of a very special advantage, when the raised portion of the locking element, which is formed for purposes of a spacing between the contact element and the locking element, is configured and dimensioned such that during the engagement from behind by the locking element, it extends from within the receptacle into the region between the shoulders, and that it is dimensioned such as to form an antirotation device for the locking element. This prevents a further rotation of the locking element effectively, at least when an intact connection is realized between the locking element and the contact element as a result of the elastic means or rubber band.
It is likewise possible that the contact element includes engagement flanks, which extend toward the locking element. These engagement flanks extend at least somewhat from outside into the region between the shoulders after the rotation of the contact element, which leads to the engagement from behind by the locking element, and after the locking element has reached its engaged position, and they form likewise an antirotation device for the contact element. This would secure both the locking element from the inside of the receptacle and the contact element from the outside of the receptacle against rotation relative to the inwardly projecting shoulders.
For a more extensive connection between the contact element and the locking element, in particular, however, for mounting objects of any kind to the thus realized anchoring unit, the connecting means of the contact element include, preferably in the center, an opening for an anchoring rod. Other holding measures are realizable. The here addressed anchoring rod is merely exemplary. The opening in the contact element could be provided with an internal screw thread.
Furthermore, the connecting means could include a preferably central opening in the locking element, which may likewise be provided with an internal screw thread. The above-mentioned anchoring rod could extend through the opening in the contact element into the locking element, and be screwed both to the latter and the contact element, thereby permitting a relative rotational movement between the contact element and the locking element. Specifically, the anchoring rod could be configured as a threaded rod, so that any desired, additional holders, for example, for receiving tubes or the like, may be applied to the external screw thread of the threaded rod. By screwing together the anchoring unit or the parts forming the anchoring unit, namely the contact element and the locking element, a reliable anchoring to the receptacle is realized, and means are made available for purposes of being able to mount or hang objects to the secured anchoring unit.
Finally, it should be remarked that the receptacle may be configured as a special section rail with a substantially U-shaped cross section and inwardly projecting shoulders. It is important that shoulders of whatever design and construction be provided, so that a support of the anchoring unit can be realized by the clamping effect between the locking element and the contact element.